HIKE OF THE MONTH

HIKE of the month SABINO CANYON TRAIL Like the West Fork of Oak Creek, the riparian nature of this trail lures in a lot of hikers. You won't be alone, but you won't mind. This is one of Arizona's best hikes. BY ROBERT STIEVE/PHOTOGRAPHS BY JEFF MALTZMAN

Water. That's the payoff on this hike. But only because water is so rare on desert trails. Even without water, this would be a keeper. The saguaros and ocotillos and converging canyons make it so. Nevertheless, there is water, in the form of Sabino Creek, which nourishes a riparian habitat of trees that includes Arizona sycamores, ash, cottonwoods, walnuts, alders, alligator junipers and cypresses. There are wildflowers, too. And grasses. And just about every other plant the Sonoran Desert has to offer.

All of which adds up to one of the best hikes in Arizona, especially in the spring, when the goldpoppies and lupines are in bloom. However, before you can hit the trail, you'll have to catch a tram at the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area.

The recreation area is ground zero for several hiking trails in the Coronado National Forest, as well as the scenic tram tour ($15) that takes hikers and sightseers into Sabino Canyon. The quickest way to get to the Sabino Canyon Trailhead is on the tram. If you have the time, the Phoneline Trail can be used as a connecting route, but it adds 8 miles (round-trip) to the hike. Besides, if you take the tram, you'll learn a few things about the area. For example, you'll learn that the scenic road into the canyon was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. The plan was to carve a route all the way to Mount Lemmon, but after 4 miles, the project ran out of steam.